Not Everything Is What It Seems
by sparklepencil
Summary: Everyone is happy that Link has saved them from the cursed moon. Link however is very much tired of being a hero and constantly fighting bosses. He needs a break, and so he persuades Zelda into running away with him. But with him gone, will Hyrule manage to exist? When trouble arises, and there is no Link to turn to, what'll happen to Hyrule? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Come With Me

**Authors Note: Hey guys! A special friend of mine, princessanastasiaromanov464, asked me to do a story taking place after Majora's Mask, so I put together some ideas and here it is! I promised her that it would be up by today, so without further ado, enjoy! **

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><p><strong>Link's POV<strong>

"HEYA!" Link shouted before he came down on Majora's Wrath one last time. Screaming, the mask disintegrated into ashes. Meanwhile, the evil moon being pushed away by the Four Giants rose back again in its normal orbit.

Link smiled. He had just saved Termina from the evil moon! Heading back to where the Giants were, Link was greeted by lots of happy people.

However, Link was very homesick. He wanted nothing more than to return to the kingdom of Hyrule, where he belonged. He hopped on Epona and bid everyone farewell, including the Skull Kid. Nudging her along, Link headed back towards Hyrule.

When Link arrived at Hyrule, Princess Zelda was there to greet him. "Link! I missed you so much! How are you?" she asked as she hugged him tightly. Link smiled and hugged her back. "Zelda, I missed you too! I'm so exhausted though" he sighed. "I'm going to take a nap, see you later!" Link waved before galloping towards the Lost Woods.

Entering the woods, Link made himself a bed of leaves. Laying down, he closed his eyes. Before long, he fell asleep in the woods next to Epona.

A few hours later, Link opened his eyes. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, indicating that it was getting late. Standing up, he rubbed Epona's nose and hugged her. "Oh Epona, I'm so tired of being a hero. I mean, saving the kingdom is exhausting! Maybe I should take a break" he said to her.

Epona lowered her head and whinnied softly. Link smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "You're right, girl. I do deserve a break, and what better way than to spend it with you and Zelda?" he giggled. Link mounted on Epona and nudged her onward towards the castle.

"Zelda! Zelda, come here!" he exclaimed when he rode up to the castle. Stepping out on the balcony, Zelda looked down at him. Her blonde hair was gently blowing behind her, due to the gentle breeze in the air. Her lovely blue eyes were sparkling with happiness and joy. Link stared at her for a long time. All he could think about was her beauty and grace. She was so beautiful and kind, but he doubted that a princess like her would.

"What is it, Link?" she asked curiously. "Oh, well um I need you to come down so I can tell you face to face!" he responded. He couldn't just shout out what he was planning to do! "Oh, alright, I'm coming!" Zelda responded before heading down to him.

"Zelda, I want to run away" he said when she arrived. 'What? Why?" she asked. "Well, it's just that I am tired of being a hero! I mean, saving Hyrule over and over and over again is getting pretty tiring. So, I decided that I am going to take a break from it all, and run away" he sighed.

Zelda looked like she was about to cry. "Oh Zel, please don't cry. Please don't cry! Besides, I want you to come with me! We could run away, together!" Link smiled. Zelda looked up at him and shook her head. "No, Link I can't. I must stay to protect and rule over Hyrule. My people depend on it" she sadly declined. 'I'm sorry, but I can't go with you."

Hearing that, Link's heart shattered. "You have to though! It wouldn't be the same without you" he mumbled. "What was that?" Zelda asked. "Nothing. Please please please go with me?" he asked once more, looking into her eyes. He put on the best pouty face he could. Zelda groaned and avoided eye contact. "Not the pouty face!" she giggled. "You know I can't stand the pouty face!"

**Zelda's POV**

Link looked at Zelda innocently. "Come on Zelda, what's the harm? I mean, your father rules the kingdom already. He can rule the kingdom just fine on his own!" "I know he can, but the thing is is that he would miss me! He would send out a search party to try and find me, and what would happen if we got caught? He would throw you in prison, and I would be grounded for life!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Zelda, please?" Link begged. His eyes were starting to tear up. "Please Zelda? I want you to come with me. No, I...I **_need_**you to come with me!" "What was that last part?" Zelda asked while looking straight into his eyes.

Link looked away, clearly embarrassed. His face turned a little red from blushing. "Uh, I mean I want you to come with me" he quickly corrected. Zelda looked at him and sighed. "Link, I'm sorry but my answer is still no.

Link nodded. "I understand, I just thought that it would be nice to run away together, and forget about our duties. I mean come on, doesn't it get tiring being a princess? You have a lot of responsibility, and that is not an easy thing! Running away would make life easier for both of us!" he explained.

Zelda looked up at him with an excited expression. "You mean... I won't have any responsibilites?!" "Yeah, that's exactly it! The best part is, we have each other! Come on, lets go explore the world a little bit! I'm feeling frisky!" Link giggled.

Zelda giggled as well. "Oh, alright! Why not? I mean, I would love to get away! Let's go!" she smiled. Link cheered and helped her on Epona. As they raced away from the castle, Zelda wondered what her new life would be like. She was extremely excited to spend her time with Link.

Meanwhile, a hooded creature was standing in a dark cave, looking at a magic crystal ball. In the ball, it showed Link and Zelda running away. "Good, good. Now I can finally take over Hyrule once and for all! BWAHAHAHA!" the hooded creature said in a raspy voice.

Little did they know, Link and Zelda were making a very bad decision. A very bad decision that could possibly cost them their lives and destroy Hyrule if they take the wrong path of life.

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><p><strong>Alright, so there is the first chapter! That was just a little intro to get you introduced to the whole story. More will be coming soon, but right now I am working on Chapter 17 for my other fanfiction story. Please review! Thank you :)<strong>


	2. The Blissful Days

**Hola! Sorry about the long delay, I had to start and finish a 3-4 page paper this week! My brain was literally fried, and so I couldn't update until today! Anyway, the other part of it being so late was the actual planning itself. I could go in two ways from where I left off in the beginning, so I took the second way and I think it worked out better! Anyway, I'm going to do something that will make writing for two stories easier for me. From now on I will work on one story a week. This week counts from Sunday to Friday, which I tried to work on this story, so the next week I will be working purely on my other story. This way will make it easier for me to not have to switch between plots every day. I know that it is early Sunday, (midnight to be exact) but the weekend is reserved for the other story, just like next weekend will be reserved for this story. Anyway, enjoy! I wrote a long chapter to make up for it! BTW I forgot to mention earlier but since Link is a young child in Majora's Mask, I decided to choose how old Link and Zelda are. They are both 11 in this section, that's why they act childish and silly.**

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><p><strong>Link's POV<strong>

"So Link, I have a very important question to ask you" Zelda stated as they headed towards Kakariko Village. Link turned around while Epona was still in motion and smiled at her. "What is it, Zel?"

"Where exactly are we going?" Zelda asked. "Well, that just depends on you. Where do you want to go?" Link smirked. "Well, I have always wanted to explore Hyrule. The only problem is that everyone would recognize me as the princess, and question where I am going. You know, it's not easy being a princess" she sighed.

"It's not easy being a hero either. Fighting monsters to protect the people you love is not something that we have to do. It's a voluntary thing, but we choose to do it anyway. We could just let the people get hurt and killed but what good would that be? Hyrule wouldn't be as peaceful as it is today if it weren't for brave heroes like me that go out in the world and rescue people from grave danger. Heroes and princesses have many similarities as well. For one thing, we both look very good. Another thing is that we are there to protect the citizens. Princesses have to rule the kingdom but what good would that do without someone there to protect everyone?" Link concluded.

"You know, you are very right. I'm glad that I ran away from all those stressful duties. I just hope my poor father isn't too worried about me" Zelda agreed. Link stopped Epona, turned around, and gave Zelda a big hug. "Oh, I'm sure he's fine. He probably is too busy bossing people around. You know how he likes to boss people around" Link joked.

Zelda giggled. "Yeah, in fact I bet he is demanding that Anthony has to drop and give him 50!" ""Wait, what? What does that mean? Who is Anthony?" Link asked.

"Oh, it's how we train the new royal guards. They must be able to have great strength, agility, and speed in order to protect Hyrule to the best of their abilities, so my father has a training court within a section of the castle. Anyway, they do things that make them stronger like running, sit-ups, and push-ups to strengthen their muscles so they can be strong. Drop and give him 50 means to do 50 push-ups for him as a punishment. Anthony is the weakest guard in training, he has great difficultly training because he has a little muscle disorder. It's actually kind of sad" Zelda explained.

"Oh" Link said quietly. "I had no idea." "Yeah, neither did my father until he told him one day while they were doing strenuous laps around the entire castle and up and down the halls. The sad thing is is that my father took no pity at his disorder, instead he is making him work twice as hard. I have no idea why, but I think it has something to do with the past. Anthony's father and my father go back a long way." Zelda mentioned

"Hmm, interesting. Well, it seems that I am lost and it is getting late" Link admitted. Zelda looked around the field that they were in and turned back to Link. "Weren't you heading towards Kakariko Village?" she asked. "Well I was, but now I have no idea where I went!" Link admitted.

Spotting a river, Link decided to walk up to it. "This must be Zora's River" he pointed out. "If we follow it, we'll either end up at Zora's Fountain or the Sleepless Waterfall. Still, if we do follow the river it is very dangerous. Octoroks and Blue Tektites infest the waters!"

"Ah, are you scared?" Zelda teased. "Wh-what? Me? Scared? Haha, good one Zelda! Of course I'm not scared!" Link argued. "We'll see about that" she smirked. "Oh, so you doubt me?" Link questioned. "Well, I've got news for you, princess. I am not afraid of anything and I'll prove it!" he exclaimed before charging straight for the river.

Hopping off of Epona, Link dived right in the river. Zelda watched him very closely. "Link, be careful! You might get hurt!" she warned. Link stood up and smirked at her. 'Come on princess, join me!" he said. Zelda crossed her arms and shook her head. "There is no way that you will ever get me to go in there" she argued. Link hopped out of the river and walked straight towards her. 'Are you sure about that?" he asked. "Yes, I'm positive" she giggled.

Picking her up, Link swung her off of Epona and into his arms. Zelda screamed and giggled and tried to escape. Link however had a strong grip, and so he carried her all the way to the river. Smiling mischievously at her, he then brought her to a deep point and dropped her straight in.

Link giggled as Zelda poked her wet head out of the water. "Link! What was that for?' she asked while pretending to sound furious. Link laughed as hard as he could and looked at her. "Sorry Zel, that is just too funny!"

Zelda gave Link another glare but instead of pretending to sound angry, she seemed really calm. "Well, why don't you come over here so I can tell you something?" she asked. Link smiled and eagerly darted towards her with a goofy smile on his face. When he got close enough, Zelda grabbed his arm and yanked him in with her.

When Link came up gasping for air, he stared at Zelda in amazement. "Nobody had ever tricked me as well as that!" he exclaimed. Zelda smiled and nodded. "Yep. I am quite sneaky and mischievous when I want to be" she smiled. Link giggled and dunked her head under the water.

When she came up again, Zelda stuck out her tongue at him. 'Oh, so this is how you want to play? Well, two can play at that game!" she giggled before dunking Link's head underwater.

Link giggled. "Alright, alright, you win" he surrendered. Zelda smiled and bowed. "Thank you, thank you very much!".

Climbing out of the river, Link helped Zelda get out too. As they layed together on the bank, Link suddenly sat up.

"What's wrong, Link?" Zelda asked. "Oh, nothing. I've just just realized something." he replied. "What have you realized?" she wondered.

"Zelda, I couldn't live without you. I mean, we've been friends since we were extremely young, and I just can't imagine a life without you in it. Will you promise me that we will always and forever be friends? I don't want to lose you...r friendship" he quickly corrected himself.

"Of course, Link we will always be friends! I couldn't imagine my life without you either. In fact, I don't even want to! Running away with you has been the best decision I have ever made" she smiled. Link cheered and they hugged.

Pulling back, Link blushed slightly. "What?" Zelda asked, studying his complexion. "Oh, um nothing. That's just the first time that we have hugged..ever" he realized.

Zelda laughed. 'I guess it is" she blushed. Suddenly, they heard a loud growl coming from Zelda's stomach. Zelda laughed and patted it. "Man, I am starving! Is there any food around here?"

Link giggled and looked back at the river. 'Sometimes I see fish swim in the river. Look, there's one now!" he exclaimed before pointing towards the river. Pulling out his fishing rod, he began to fish.

After a short while, Link had already caught 6 fish. "Wow Link, you're a really good fisherman!" Zelda smiled. "Thanks! Well, looks like dinner is ready!" he smiled.

Zelda smiled back. "Yay! I'll gather some berries to go with it. Be right back!" she waved before going into the forest with a basket that Link had put in Epona's saddle bag.

**Zelda's POV**

Entering the forest, Zelda came across a large bush with juicy looking berries. They were black and very ripe. She looked at them very carefully before deciding to put them in the basket. After all, they were just black berries.

After she picked the black berries, she walked a little farther. Spotting another bush, she ran up to it.

" Oh wow! Blueberries and raspberries! We are going to have a delicious dinner after all!" she smiled. Picking the berries, she headed back the direction she came from until she reached the river.

At the river, Link already had the fish prepared. They were steaming hot on a wooden table that he had carved from a tree. On the table, there was also two cups with some water in them.

"Link! How in the world did you cook those fish, and where did this table come from?" Zelda asked with a shocked expression. 'I was only gone for a few minutes!"

"Actually, you were gone for an hour, which is quite a long time. I actually just cut a small tree and used its wood to make a little table so that we wouldn't have to eat on the ground. I learned tree carving from a nice girl I met while I traveled to Termina. Her name is Faith, and she is an amazing friend. Also, I cooked the fish by making a campfire. It's over there" he pointed at the campfire, which was very large.

"Ohh, awesome! Cooked fish is better than raw!" Zelda smiled. "Thanks Link!" "You're welcome. Now, what kind of berries did you gather?" Link asked. Zelda scooted over to him and showed him the basket. Link looked inside before smiling very largely. "Oh my gosh! Black berries, blueberries and raspberries? Awesome!" he exclaimed.

Sitting down, they had a nice dinner. The fish was extremely good, and the berries only made it better. After a delicious meal, Link decided to make a bed for himself and Zelda. Walking back to Epona's saddle bag, he took out some blankets and two pillows.

**Link's POV**

"Quick question, when did you have time to pack a saddle bag before you came back home to me?" Zelda asked. "Oh, well when I was in the Lost Forest,the thought hit me to run away together so before I came back to the castle to talk to you, I gathered some necessities from a good friend that happened to live in the forest" he explained. It went on like this:

_Entering the woods, Link made himself a bed of leaves. Laying down, he closed his eyes. Before long, he fell asleep in the woods next to Epona._

_A few hours later, Link opened his eyes. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, indicating that it was getting late. Standing up, he rubbed Epona's nose and hugged her. "Oh Epona, I'm so tired of being a hero. I mean, saving the kingdom is exhausting! Maybe I should take a break" he said to her._

_Epona lowered her head and whinnied softly. Link smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "You're right, girl. I do deserve a break, and what better way than to spend it with you and Zelda?" he giggled. "Before I go, I've got to get some necessities so that we won't be left with nothing though!" he exclaimed. "I know, I'll just visit my good friend Henry. He lives very close from here" he said._

_Going up to Henry's house, Link knocked on his door. A tall, thin, brunette man opened it. "Link! How are ya buddy? I haven't seen you in forever!" Henry exclaimed. Link smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's good to see you too, pal" he smiled. Henry hugged him very tightly, and cheered. "So what brings you here pal?" he asked while letting Link go. "Well you see, I um need to uh borrow some blankets, food and any other things you might have to go camping with Zelda. We're going to go camping but I totally left all of my things in Termina" he lied with a smile. "Ah, sucks don't you worry about it! Anytime you need anything, I am always here for you! You saved my life countless times and so I will repay you however much I can" Henry smiled before disappearing in the house._

_Coming back out, he had a tent, a couple of blankets, two pillows, a basket, lots of food, a couple of cups and some rupees. "Sorry about all of this, I just am always prepared! So where are ya'll headed?" Henry asked with a smile. "Oh, we're just going to find a nice camping spot somewhere and camp there. We don't know where yet though!" Link said._

_Packing up the things in the saddle bag, Link patted Epona with sympathy. "Sorry girl, looks like you're going to have to carry a bit of extra weight on you. Not to worry, this is all for a good cause" he whispered. Turning back to Henry, he waved at him. "See you later, pal!" Link mounted on Epona and nudged her onward towards the castle._

"Ah, ok I get it now. That's awesome! Well, it's getting kind of dark, you want to set up camp for the night?" she asked. Link nodded. "He also packed a tent, remember? We don't have to sleep in it, it's just in case it starts raining" Link suggested. "Yeah, and besides, the stars are out tonight" Zelda said while looking at the sky. She layed down on the blanket and stared at all of the stars. Link smiled and layed down beside her.

"Can you spot any constellations?" Zelda asked."Well, I do see the Big Dipper" Link replied. "I see it too. Did you know that the Big Dipper is also part of the constellation Ursa Major?" Zelda smirked. "Wait, how did you know that? Link lifted his head to look at her. "Oh, when I was younger, my mother used to teach me all about the constellations. She also taught me a lot about history, math, science and the English language. She was a good teacher and mentor" Zelda wiped a tear from her eye.

"Zelda, you've never really mentioned your mother to me" Link said softly. "I know. She died when I was only 8 years old. It was a tragic freak accident, and it ended up killing her" Zelda sobbed. She hung her head down in shame. "Her death is all my fault!" she wailed.

"Zelda, Zelda there is no reason to blame yourself for that! You were not the cause of her death. You are a great person and her death is not your fault" Link comforted her. Zelda looked up at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head. "No Link, her death is my fault. I was the one who caused the accident in the first place!" she sobbed again and held her face in his chest. Link pulled her closer and hugged her tightly.

**Zelda's POV**

Zelda sobbed for a very long time, letting the tears constantly run into Link's tunic. She felt a wave of sadness rush over her as she remembered her mother. She could remember the day of her death as if it were yesterday:

_A young Zelda stands in the kitchen, making a delicious breakfast for her mother. It happens to be her mother's 32nd birthday, so it was a special occasion for her. As she cooked the eggs and bacon, Zelda couldn't wait to surprise her mother._

_After preparing the food, Zelda carried it to her parent's bedroom. It was in the middle of the castle, behind two very big and tall wooden doors. Opening one, she quietly snuck inside and smiled at the sight of her sleeping mother. Her mother was very beautiful, something Zelda had always wished to be. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her kind blue eyes were closed. Her breathing was steady, and she seemed to be smiling in her sleep._

_Zelda walked over to the bed and gently woke her sleeping mother up. Opening her eyes, the mother smiled at her daughter and hugged her. 'Well, good morning Zelda. Why are you up so early?" her mother smiled at her._

_"Happy Birthday!" Zelda exclaimed, hugging her mother very tightly. "I love you very much and so I made you breakfast in bed!" she smiled. Getting the food from the table she had set it down on, she made her way back over to her mother. Seeing the food, her mother smiled with delight. 'Why thank you darling! I love it!" her mother exclaimed. _

_Zelda laughed. "I knew you would mommy!" Her mother ate the food very politely and delicately, like she always did. Setting down her plate, she smiled at her daughter once more. "Zelda, that meal was quite delicious! It looks like my cooking skills are finally rubbing off on you" she joked. Standing up, she went over to her dresser to pick out her most favorite outfit for her birthday._

_Zelda understood what she was about to do, so she went out of her mother's room and to her own room. Opening the door, she was greeted by a bunch of stuffed animals that fell on her. There were huge piles of stuffed animals everywhere. Going to her own dresser, Zelda changed and went back to her mother'r room. Opening the door, she gasped at the amazing sight that stood before her._

_Her mother was standing there in a gorgeous long red dress that almost touched the ground. Her blonde hair was down and it had a rose in it. There was a lovely red necklace around her neck, made entirely of rubies. She looked like a beautiful queen, like Zelda had always wanted to be. Running towards her, Zelda hugged her tightly again. "Oh mother, you look absolutely gorgeous!" she exclaimed._

_"Oh really? Well, I know for a fact that my beautiful daughter is just as beautiful as me" her mother smiled. Zelda blushed and giggled. "So what do you want to do today, mom?" Zelda asked. "Well, I'm glad that you asked that because I have something special planned for both of us" her mother said. Zelda cheered and clapped. "Ooh, what is it?" she asked. Her mother laughed and shook her head. "Be patient child. It wouldn't be a surprise if you knew what it was" she smiled. "Alright let's go!"_

_Heading out, they hopped in a carriage that took them through Castle Town, with a lot of shops to browse through. Stopping at a theatre, they got out. Zelda smiled as she recognized where her mother was taking her._

_"This is Hyrule Theater! Wow, awesome! What show are we going to see?" Zelda asked. Her mother smiled and looked at the pamphlet. "Well, you have a choice between __**The Three Goddesses**__and_ _**The Princess and the Pauper**__." her mother smiled. Zelda thought about it for a moment before finally deciding on The Princess and the Pauper. "The Three Goddesses sounds like a historical documentary anyway" she said._

_After watching the play, Zelda and her mother decided to get some tasty ice cream next door. Eating the ice cream on their way out, they shared with each other. Zelda smiled at her mother and held her hand. Skipping happily on the sidewalk, she started to sing about how happy she was to have a mother as great as her own. Joining in, her mother made it a duet. She had a beautiful singing voice, just like a mockingbird. Singing about her lovely daughter, Zelda's mother smiled as they finished the song together._

_Suddenly, they weren't looking where they were going and a carriage came flying around the corner. She tried to stop her mother from going out into the street, but it was too late. There was a sickening thud as the carriage kept on going, not even noticing the body that it held under it._

_Screaming, Zelda ran up to her mother and cried. Her mother was on the ground, but there was no sign of injury. That was until Zelda discovered that she wasn't breathing anymore. Taking her into her own arms, Zelda sobbed for dear life. Only mere seconds ago they were singing a happy duet, and now her mother lay dead on the street. Picking her up, Zelda cried as she carried her back to the castle. _

_Her father was sitting in his usual throne as they came through the door. Seeing Zelda he smiled, but as soon as he saw what she was carrying, his smile soon faded. Running up to them, he took Zelda's mother into his own arms._

_"Harriett? Harriet?! NO! NO NO NO! Zelda, what happened? Why is Harriett not breathing?" her father cried. Zelda shook her head and sobbed. 'Daddy, mother was hit by a carriage! I saw the whole thing too, it was terrible!" she cried._

_"Zelda, it's ok, ssshh" her father comforted him. "It's going to be ok." he said while swallowing back the tears. "We still have each other baby, shhhh. Mommy is in a better place now" her father said._

_Then, the dream changed to her funeral. Her mother was in a coffin, with a mournful band playing in the background. Millions had gathered to watch her be put into her permanent resting spot, her grave. She was buried underneath her favorite tree in the castle's courtyard. Zelda and her father were crying and sobbing in each other's arms while everyone cried with them. It was a sad day indeed, for many loved the beautiful queen. She had done lots to improve the lives of her people, and she was the greatest queen that Hyrule had ever seen._

Zelda finished explaining her memory of her mother to Link with a single tear sliding down her face. Link hugged her tightly and looked at her. "That must've been very traumatizing for you, Zelda. I remember that day too. I was there, watching everything but you never saw me. I did plant some flowers at her grave though. Remember how she loved me? She treated me as her own son, just because I was your friend" he giggled. "When I told her I had no parents, she had enough sympathy to let me stay in the castle with you for a couple of days." he smiled.

"I remember that! She loved you Link, she really did. I'm sure she would be proud of the young hero you have become" Zelda smiled back. They hugged again and layed back down to look at the stars. "You know, she loved looking at the stars as well. It was one of her favorite things to do" she smiled.

**Link's POV**

"Yeah" Link sighed. "She was an amazing woman". Suddenly though, he felt very sleepy. "Well, I think I'm going to head off to bed, Zel. See you tomorrow" he sighed. Link drifted into an amazing sleep filled with lots of good dreams.

Zelda smiled and layed down too. She closed her eyes and fell asleep as well. They had just finally completed their first day of being rebels together.

The next few days were very blissful for both of them. They gathered food, hunted, and even went fishing from time to time. Zelda taught Link how to catch sajas, adorable ladybug-like bugs that loved to be friendly towards humans. They were the size of a medium sized turtle, and they had rainbow wings instead of spotted, but they closely resembled a giant ladybug. They were great pets as well, if you got to know them. Link in return taught Zelda how to fish. He even made her a fishing rod out of simple wooden material, some string, and a fishing hook. They shared stories about their past life and about their families, although Link didn't have much to share on that subject. They loved to go swimming in the river, and never missed the chance to get each other soaked every time.

At night, Zelda and Link pranced around the field catching fireflies and watching them glow in their hands. They also would build a campfire and roast smores occasionally. They would tell each other spooky and scary stories filled with ghosts, goblins, and witches of all kinds. Of course, there were always the stars to look at as well. Zelda taught Link about most of the constellations, while Link pointed out all of the planets and starts themselves. They were living a good and blissful life together indeed. Link was very glad that Zelda had agreed to run away with him. He wanted to continue this forever, just him and Zelda together forever. Nothing else felt so right.

As we know though, all good things must come to an end. As Link and Zelda enjoyed their blissful life, the mysterious cloaked figure was planning a very evil and bad plan. Of course, they had no idea about the plan or what was going to happen, but fate likes to play a cruel part in ruining peoples' lives and that's exactly what it was going to do.

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><p><strong>OMG this is officially the longest chapter I have ever made, 4,171 words without the intro or this part! Ohmigosh! My other story's longest chapter was about 3,100 words! Anyway, hoped you enjoy but I shall be working on the other story until next weekend where I will rotate to this story, and then the weekend after that is the other story's weekend. Crazy, right? <strong>


	3. The Ancient Prophecy of Knowledge

**Hey guys! You are probably wondering why I have not updated this story in a while! Well, there are 2 reasons why, and I believe that you should know them: 1. I did update my Chapter 19 on the other story, but I seriously had major writer's block for a long time. It isn't until just recently (like 5 minutes ago lol) that I have found my inspiration for this story again. 2. I was seriously disheartened when I lost the papers that had the titles and notes of my later chapters for my first story, True Love. I seriously lost all inspiration to write for both stories, until I found those papers yesterday! (Thank the Goddesses!) So without further ado, enjoy the little chapter! I have decided to add a prophecy in here, because it just seemed necessary.**

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><p><strong>Link's POV <strong>

Link slowly opened his eyes to the bright beautiful blue sky. The hot rays of the morning Sun beat down on him as he slowly rose and turned to look at Zelda's sleeping figure. She looked very peaceful in her sleep, with her hair sprawled out all across the blanket.

Carefully as not to wake her, Link gently stood up and climbed out of the blanket. He rubbed his eyes and patted his messy hair down to normal. Putting his green cap on and grabbing his sword, he decided that he was going to explore the woods around them.

He tiptoed quietly until their base camp was out of sight, and then began to run. He didn't exactly know where he was headed, but he had the impulse to go somewhere. Eventually, he came across a large cave. Inside of it, he spotted a faint glow. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he entered the cave with nothing but his sword and shield.

As he roamed around the cave, he had a strong foreboding was extremely wrong. Usually a cave would have all sorts of terrifying, ugly, and gruesome monsters in it, but that cave was just simply bare! Exploring a bit more, he came across the mysterious light that caused his curiosity.

However, the light was not what it seemed to be. It was the glow of a lantern held by a skull hand. "What in the world is that?" Link asked out loud. Suddenly, the latent began to move as Link heard a familiar giggle.

"You found me!" the skull kid exclaimed as he smiled mischeviously at Link. Giggling some more, the skull kid then ran deeper into the cave. Link gasped and followed him.

Soon, he eventually caught up to the Skull Kid. They were in a dark chamber with a shiny metal bed. The skull kid giggled once more, and coaxed Link to lie down.

Against Link's better judgement, he cautiously approached the bed. Raising an eyebrow, he patted the bed to make sure that this wasn't a trap.

Suddenly, the skull kid forcefully pushed him onto the bed. Link gasped and struggled as he tied him up with chains.

"Skull kid? This is not like you! What's gotten into you?!" Link exclaimed. The skull kid simply shrugged and smiled at him. "Let's just say that I met a very nice man who changed my life! Hee hee! See you later!" he smiled and waved. He then pushed a button and vanished from the sight.

The room begun to shook as a large weapon descended from the ceiling. It was aimed right at Link's chest. Link screamed in fear and looked around the room, praying that he wouldn't die...

**Zelda's POV**

Meanwhile, Zelda woke up a couple of minutes later. Finding that Link was gone, she decided to go check on her beautiful home of Hyrule. She wasn't going to return permanently, but she did worry for her father. Instead, she would disguise herself as an old peasant and explore the village surrounding Hyrule Castle.

As she entered the village, she saw a lot of poor, smelly, and dirty citizens huddled in a corner with wide eyes that were full of fear. "What is going on here?" she asked in the best old voice that she could muster.

One of the citizens coughed up blood before they turned to her. "The dark one has arisen." they replied in a raspy voice. "What in the name of Hyrule does that mean?" Zelda asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"It means that an evil man is now ruling the kingdom. Ever since Princess Zelda mysteriously disappeared, the man has taken over Hyrule. He easily overpowered the king, and ever since then, Hyrule has been in total complete chaos."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Oh, um thank you. I must go now." she nodded, before running quickly towards the castle.

As she entered the castle, she heard an evil chuckle. "Well it's about time, princess. I thought you'd never come." a dark and raspy voice said. As she opened the door a bit more, she saw a dark figure sitting on the throne of her father.

"Ok, I have many questions to ask you. First off, who are you? Second, why are you sitting on my father's throne? Lastly, why are you terrorizing the people of my kingdom?" Zelda asked.

The mysterious man chuckled. "My name is not important, but you may call me the Demon of the Night if you wish. I refuse to answer your questions, because you do not need to worry about me. However, your precious knight in shining armor on the other hand..."

"What did you do to Link?" Zelda snarled. She stepped closer to the Demon, and deeply glared at him.

"Woah woah, calm down princess. I did nothing to the boy. It was one of my most loyal companions that did the terrific deed. See, with him out of the way there is no one left to protect you from evil. I shall murder you myself, and very soon."

Zelda eyes widened and she gasped. "Where is my father?" she demanded.

"He is safe, for now at least. I have him somewhere locked away, and you'll never know where."

Suddenly, the Demon reached out and grabbed Zelda's arm very tightly. She tried to pull back, but his grip was too strong. He smirked at her before standing up and forcing her to walk out of the room.

They traveled from room to room, heading towards the back part of the castle. He made sure to stay behind her with that same strong grip. He kicked her legs, forcing her to keep walking towards her doom.

Eventually, they arrived in the dungeons of the castle. He put chains around her wrists and loosened his grip on her arm. The minute that she was free, she gasped and cradled her sore arm.

"I'll be back for you very soon.I just have to pick which of my favorite weapons I should use for your execution. Oh, and don't go anywhere! As if you could.. MUAHAHAHA!" the Demon laughed evilly, as he slammed the heavy iron door.

Zelda pulled on her chains as hard as she could. Thinking about Link, she was at a point of defeat. _There's no way that he could still be alive after the events of today _she thought.

As she contemplated of what she should think about in her last moments of life, she didn't notice the triforce glare of the light in the center of the room. It was only until a loud noise startled her that she saw it.

A band of light exploded in front of her. Peeking gently, she saw the great goddess Farore standing in front of her.

Zelda gasped and quickly stood up a bit more. Farore was quiet for a minute, but she was gathering a huge ball of magic up. As she was fully charged, she sent it against Zelda's chains. They broke in an instant second, leaving Zelda free.

_Heroine of wisdom, heed my warning. Do not waste any time, but go back to your camp. Head north until you find a large cave, and go through it. Your hero is suffering, and this is his time of need. Go to him. After you rescue him, you must meet me back at your camp. I have some important news to tell you, and an important item to bestow upon you._

Zelda nodded and quickly ran across the room, bursting open the door. Running out into the hall, she practically flew down the steps towards the entrance.

After leaving the castle, she headed right for the camp. Looking around, she saw all the stuff that they had. "If I'm going to save my hero, I must find something useful that I could potentially fight with." Zelda said out loud. Scrounging around the camp, she came across a small yet sharp dagger.

"This is perfect!" she happily exclaimed. Gathering all of her courage, she headed deeper into the forest until she reached the cave that Link was trapped in.

Going inside, she screamed his name as loud as she could. "LINK! LINK CAN YOU HEAR ME!? HHHEEEELLLLOOOOOOO?!" she exclaimed.

"ZELDA? ZELDA, HELP MEEE!" she heard a loud voice scream back. Running towards its noise, she saw Link attached to the metal bed.

"Link? Link! It's alright, I'm here for you!" Zelda exclaimed with joyful tears in her eyes. As she prepared to untie him though, she noticed that something was terribly wrong.

Link had blood on his shirt from the wound that the weapon had created. It dug deeper into his skin, making him scream in agony. Zelda gasped and quickly looked around for the source to shut it off.

Even as she hit the button, she noticed that he had lost a lot of blood.

Link softly groaned as she pushed the large weapon away from him. He seemed fine, other than the large damage it had done to his skin.

As Zelda examined it, she realized that none of his internal organs were too damaged. Sighing in relief, she gently picked him up and attempted to carry him back to the camp.

As she ran back, Zelda grunted with great hardship. Link was extremely heavy from all the armor he was wearing. Instead of taking it off though, she kept it on. _It's probably the only thing that is keeping him from fainting _she thought.

When she got back to the camp, she gently laid Link down onto the blanket and began to patch up all of his injuries.

**Link's POV**

Link smiled as he stared up at his heroine. "You are such a good doctor, Zelda." he barely managed to croak.

"Sssh, don't speak Link. You need to rest." Zelda gently suggested.

Suddenly, the familiar glow of the triforce on the ground startled them both. Farore appeared, smiling down at her two heroes.

Looking at Link, she nodded as she noticed his injuries. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she healed his grave injuries in no time.

Now facing both of them, she began to speak in her familiar voice:

_Children of wisdom and courage, you are foolish to run away from your responsibilities. Hyrule is in its darkest hour, and you must be there to protect it. If you don't, it will effect the entire future, and cause a disruption to the chain of events that shall unfold otherwise. Please take this prophecy, decipher it, and go back to protecting Hyrule. For if you don't, evil will overpower everyone, causing Hyrule to crumble in flames._

With that being said, Farore vanished again, this time leaving a scroll behind.

Zelda gasped at the scroll and excitedly unraveled it. Looking at it, she realized that indeed it had a prophecy within the contents:

_A broken spirit lies within the walls of the past_

_His life slips away, surely not to last_

_Evil surrounds Hyrule without any threat_

_Leaving all its citizens to be poor and in debt_

_A princess who defied her father and ran away_

_Must make it up with her hero to save the day_

_They must rescue the broken spirit of a man first_

_Only after then, they can prepare for the worst_

_The hero who must rescue all of the land_

_Must first learn the history to understand_

_He must travel through the most difficult forest day and night_

_The same forest that has caused many people fright_

_The book of knowledge lies within an ancient heart_

_It shall fill the hero with knowledge, making him very smart_

_Lest they fail, they shall meet their doom_

_And the evil shall triumph throughout the room_

_You must journey to the skies, to the twenty seventh moon_

_Only then shall you understand when to strike, and how soon_

_A lost world only known to a few_

_Must also be rescued too_

_It had its moments of a beautiful time_

_Until it ended with tragic crime_

_The citizens were happy until the great battle began, as they tried to fend_

_The whole world was destroyed instead and forced to descend_

_Do not make the same mistake twice_

_Or the world shall end in a trice_

_The evil that you wish to seize_

_Is not exactly where you please_

_After you learn the history of the doomed world, come to the three_

_Join them together to get a chance to talk to me_

_I have something else that will suit you just right_

_It will probably raise your hopes and fill you with delight_

_Stick together, and don't let Hyrule fall_

_And most definitely never surrender above all_

_For if you do succeed in your final quest_

_The world shall be rid of all and every pest_

_Finally your world shall be free_

_And you will never have to worry, for it is safe with me_

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><p><strong>Don don donnnn! That's it for now folks! I wonder who wrote the prophecy? Well I mean I know it was me, but I mean I wonder who wrote it in the chapter. Hmm? Lol you'll know soon enough. Take care, for I shall see you guys very soon! (for Chapter 20 on my other story and then Chapter 4 on this one!) It's my 23rd Chapter officially! 9(f you combine both stories.) Yay! 23 is my lucky number. Happy 23! :D<strong>


	4. A Broken Spirit

**Hello again! It's been a while, I haven't updated since April! Oh well, all the more to work for a good long juicy chapter! It's long overdue, but I was writing so much of LOZ: TL that I kinda forgot about this story. Fear not though, I'm not neglecting this story at all. Anyway, expect more than one chapter to be uploaded by today, because tomorrow I am going on vacation and I won't be able to write for a while, at least a week! It'll be a fun vacation though, I'm going to ride horses on the beach, something I've always wanted to do. Anyway, all I can say is, this chapter will be a bit darker than the previous 3 chapters that I have written. This is one of those rated M parts. My mind feels a bit deranged today, so it will involve some gore and blood, but nothing extremely major, at least I think so. I can't promise anything though. ;)**

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><p><strong>Link's POV<strong>

Link groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to a peaceful sky with red clouds in the distance, signaling the beautiful sunrise. It had been a long day being tricked by Skull Kid, rescued by Zelda, and then presented the prophecy. He had collapsed onto the makeshift bed that he and Zelda had made while they stayed at their camp and fell into a restless sleep full of nightmares about the Skull Kid.

He slowly sat up and looked around for Zelda. As his eyes searched for any possible trace of her, he felt that something was very wrong. He quickly attempted to stand up and begin searching for his princess, but the pain of his chest told him differently. Sighing and groaning in pain, he laid back down. He pulled the blanket to his chin and began thinking of all sorts of crazy thoughts as to what might of possibly happened to Zelda.

She could be in the Skull Kid's clutches, or she could be attacked by a wild beast. Or worse, she could be dying at that very second, just calling out Link's name, begging him to rescue her. As much as this only added fear to Link's already terrified heart, he knew that he couldn't try to save her without possibly dying himself.

Link gasped at this sudden thought. He was acting completely selfish! He stood up again, this time with no intentions of laying back down. Instead, he would find his lovely Zelda and protect her at all cost. He suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his familiar green clothing, instead he was shirtless with another pair of khaki pants. He still had his trusty brown boots on, and his sword strap lay on the ground next to where he was sleeping. He picked it up, strapped it around his waist, and looked around for an extra shirt to wear. He finally spotted his bag that he had brought with him, and slipped on another familiar green shirt after searching through the bag and finding it.

He suddenly felt his hair and gasped. His hat was nowhere to be seen, and Link frantically searched everywhere for it. In it, he had always kept a special bracelet that Zelda made for him when they were very young children. He knew it was girly, but he still intended on keeping it forever. Also, he kept other things from Zelda, but that was the first gift she had ever given him. It was special to his heart and he would never want to lose it.

Spotting his hat on Zelda's side of the makeshift bed, he blushed a little and checked to see that everything was in it. He slipped it on his head and positioned it so it would stay on. Satisfied, he took his sword out of its scabbard and began to wander into the forest.

"Zelda? Zeeellllddddaaa! Are you around here?" Link asked, looking in all directions for his princess. He kept walking the forest, never once looking back at the camp. Suddenly, he was roughly grabbed by a strange man clad in black armor and a large black helmet.

"I found someone, sir!" the man exclaimed. "He was calling out Princess Zelda's name, we must interrogate him at once!"

"Good, take him back to the castle." A deep masculine voice was heard near their proximity. "I'm going to go see if I can find the princess herself."

Link heard loud hooves thunder as the other man rode his horse away in the distance. He turned his attention back to the man who was gripping his arm tightly, dragging him back to the castle.

As he finally released him, he roughly pushed Link down to the table, his head slamming against it. Link groaned in pain, but he had felt worse before.

The man slowly lowered his head until his mouth was right next to Link's ear. "Now listen prisoner, you are to tell me about the princess's whereabouts and you best tell me now. No lies here, I want the complete truth. You'll be punished if you tell any lies, but I'll leave you alone if you spill the truth." he growled in a low voice.

"You're not a solider of the castle." Link managed to say. His voice was muffled because his lips were pinned roughly against the table, along with his nose, eyes, and forehead, but the man didn't seem to care. "Why do you care about the princess?"

"I have absolutely no care for the princess at all, only for the extreme wealth that she possesses. My boss is willing to lend me a portion of the money he will get when he..." he suddenly stopped and looked down at Link. "You have no authority to ask me questions, boy. As far as you're concerned, you might not live to see the next day. Now, answer my question, or you will be severely punished." the soldier threatened at Link.

Link slowly chuckled to himself. "I don't care what you do to me. What's this boss of yours planning to do? Kill her?"

"No, that's too extreme and dangerous. He's going to do something much less violent. Now, stop asking me questions and answer the ones I've asked you!" the soldier exclaimed as he slammed his fist down onto the table.

"I'll never tell you the truth. I'd rather die then see Zelda in any kind of danger. I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong person, buddy. I've been in much worse situations before, what makes you think I'll just spill like that?" Link retorted.

The soldier growled, but decided to keep calm about it himself. He picked Link up roughly and shoved him towards a staircase that lead down into the dark. Link didn't know it yet, but he would soon come to feel the wrath of a new enemy...

**Zelda's POV**

After Farore kindly presented her and Link with the prophecy, Zelda witnessed Link collapsing onto the bed. She pulled the covers up to his chin, lightly kissed his forehead, and decided to venture deep in the forest. Link may of had the triforce of courage, but Zelda was feeling lots of courage as she went even deeper then she really meant to. She knew it was dangerous to explore without Link, but something was drawing her to come closer to it.

Zelda gasped as she suddenly bumped into something, or someone to be exact. She looked up to find herself face to face with a stranger. He had dazzling blue eyes just like her and Link, and a kind smile on his face.

"I.. I'm terribly sorry for bumping into you, mister. I should watch where I'm going." Zelda stuttered. She was only 11 years old, yet she found herself strangely blushing at the sight of this handsome man.

"Oh no, please forgive me, milady. I am Prince Luke of a kingdom nit far from here. Who may I have the pleasure of speaking to this fine evening?" he politely asked as he bowed to her.

Zelda was unsure whether she could tell him her true identity or not. Looking into his eyes though, she felt like she could trust him. She smiled at him and curtsied respectively. "I am Princess Zelda of this kingdom of Hyrule, at your service." she smiled.

His eyes widened. "Oh goodness, you must be the missing princess! Well, it's not save to be here, my dear. A bad group of bandits is here in the forest, and they are looking for you! They want your wealth, but fear not. I can take you back to my kingdom and keep you safe there.

Zelda gasped. "Wait, if you are to take me to your kingdom, you must let me get my friend Link first. He's here with me, but he's sleeping at the entrance to the forest."

"Well alright, I'll come with you. We must hurry though, we don't want to be spotted by anyone." Prince Luke advised.

"Of course, that would only be fair. However, I must ask, how old are you Prince Luke?" Zelda asked.

"I'm only 11, but I'm tall for my age. Honestly, people think I look much older than I actually am." he sighed.

"Well, that's awesome because I happen to be 11 myself!" Zelda exclaimed. "We'll make good friends Luke, I just know it!"

Luke smiled at her, but his face soon turned to a frown as they heard voices that could only belong to the bandits themselves. Luke gasped and proceeded to hide himself and Zelda within the bushes so that they wouldn't be seen. They heard a lot of loud shouting, and thundering hooves that belonged to horses.

Suddenly, Zelda heard Link calling her name. She wanted to respond, but she didn't want to give herself away to the soldiers.

"I found someone, sir!" Zelda heard a man exclaim. "He was calling out Princess Zelda's name, we must interrogate him at once!"

Zelda gasped as she heard Link crying out as the soldier dragged him farther and farther away. She tried to stand up and call out for him, but Luke kept a close grip preventing her from standing up.

"Zelda, no, you can't. It's too dangerous. I'm sorry those men took your friend, but if you try and rescue him, you'll just be captured yourself." Luke said. "We will need to think of a good plan to rescue him though."

"H-he's g-gone f-from m-me a-and i-it's a-all m-my f-fault!" Zelda sobbed. She hugged Luke tightly and sobbed into his chest, letting the tears flow continuously. "I need to save him, he's the hero of Hyrule the one who has saved me countless times. I'm nothing without him, I'm nothing without my Link!" she exclaimed, crying even harder.

Luke hugged her even tighter and comforted her. "Zelda, no matter the cost, I will help you get your friend back. It seems as though you really care for him." Luke smiled.

"I do, Luke, I do! He's always been there for me, no matter the circumstances! He always knows how to cheer me up, and make me smile. Most importantly, he's the only best friend I've ever really had. My father never let me meet any children my age, and so I was forced to play by myself. When Link came along, everything changed. I guess I'm just saying that I really miss him. I hope they aren't doing anything bad to him."

"Well, I can't have you captured from just hiding out here. Let's go back to my kingdom, I'll tell my father your story and he can help us to rescue Link. How does that sound?" Luke compromised.

"Of course, let's go right away. The faster we plan something, the faster I can be reunited with Link." Zelda smiled.

"I hope you don't mind Zelda, but I'll have to carry you there. It's quite a ways, but the ground isn't very smooth. I can run really fast, but I couldn't let a princess have her feet ruined." Luke said.

"Oh, ok. No, I don't mind at all." Zelda replied with a small smile.

Luke gently picked Zelda up and looked around. He then started to run very quickly, careful to not trip over any roots in the ground. It took a little time, but eventually Zelda could see a magnificent castle in the distance. Eventually, Luke stopped and let her stand again. He pointed to the castle and smiled.

"Welcome to the kingdom of Calithien, Princess Zelda. My father, King Rex, and my mother, Queen Catalina, rule this beautiful land." Luke smiled. "I'm sure they'd be delighted to meet you, let me take you to the castle."

With that, Luke showed Zelda the way to the front entrance of the castle. They walked a little ways before finally reaching the two large brass front doors. Two soldiers were standing at the entrance on either side and when they spotted the two travelers, they put their spears in an x in front of the door and spoke in unison with loud and deep voices. "Hault! Who goes there?" they asked.

"Tis I, Prince Luke of Calithien and my companion, Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Let us pass." Luke commanded. The guards nodded and brought their spears up next to themselves. Luke pushed open the door and held it for Zelda to walk in front of him...

**Link's POV**

Link struggled in his chains as he tried to escape. He was chained to the castle wall, with very little freedom to move at all. His feet were also in shackles, forced to lay on the ground. He didn't know what was going on, but Link was scared. He was scared about the fate of Hyrule, but most importantly he was scared about Zelda.

Suddenly, a loud cry caught his attention. He squinted into the shadows until he saw a figure slumped up against the cell walls. He tried to move closer, but his chains pulled on him. He instead decided to just try and talk to the figure.

"Why are you crying?" Link weakly croaked over the figure's loud sobbing. As the figure heard him, he turned around and gasped when he recognized who it was. "Link, is that really you? Where's my precious Zelda? Is she ok? Is she safe?" King Daphnes barely managed to whisper. Once a thriving and happy man, King Daphnes looked terrible. He had bruises, deep gashes through his once flawless skin, and dark black baggy eyes. He also had a lot of whip marks, all scratched and freshly made. He was so damaged to the point where none of his injuries would ever heal, but even as he laid there slowly dying, all he worried about was his beautiful daughter, Zelda.

Link let out a small cry as he looked at the king's dilapidated body. He could only imagine what pain and torture the king had experienced. As if the king could read his mind, he gave Link a little nod and started to speak. "I can tell you what happened, exactly. You must listen though, for I will only repeat this once. The memories kill me to revisit them, but I must tell you or else it will forever haunt me."

_As the king was happily eating his breakfast in the large dining hall, he suddenly heard a loud scream. He stood up with concern and opened the door that lead into the main hallway, only to bump into the leader of the guards. He happened to have a terrified look on his face as he stepped closer to talk with the king. "Sir, we're under attack! Hide!" he exclaimed as he ran down the hall to warn the others._

_King Daphnes watched him go, and then he began to frantically search for his daughter. He ran up to her bedchambers but when he got there, she was nowhere to be seen. "Zelda? Zelda, where have you gone?!" the king cried. He looked everywhere, but he couldn't find his dear daughter._

_Running back down the hall, he searched in all of the rooms. He spotted one of the guards and ordered him to come to him. "Search the other side of the castle for Zelda, and warn the others. Zelda's missing and we must find her. I can't lose her, she's my only child!" he cried out._

_The other solider nodded and ran as fast as he could. They were under attack and they didn't have much time, but Zelda was the main problem that they needed to deal with first._

_Suddenly, the front doors flew open to the castle. King Daphnes flew down many flights of stairs as he heard the intruders break in. Standing at the door was a large mysterious man. "Hello, King Daphnes. It's been sooooo long since I've last seen you. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that you might want to prepare for the worst. The kingdom of Hyrule shall soon be mine, and there is nothing you can do about it." the Demon laughed evilly._

_"D-Donovan? What are you doing here?" the king gasped. "I haven't seen you since army camp, what's going on? Why do you look so deranged and evil?"_

_"Mwahaha! You have no idea, Daphnes! Now, I have some buisness to attend to, but I will deal with you later. Take him to the dungeon, men!" Donovan ordered as he flicked his hand towards the same dark staircase that Link was lead down._

_Two of his loyal minions roughly grabbed King Daphnes and dragged him down to the cell. They shoved him in and chained him up to the far left shackles on the wall. One of the men had a whip that he carried around with his belt, and he took it out to begin using it against the king._

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><p><strong><em>Yeah ok, sorry to interrupt but this is the rated M part now, so bear with me. It's going to be a little gruesome and terrible, not something I usually do, but I have to show what really happened to King Daphnes for you to understand why he has no hope left in him. Nothing too major though, in fact I think it's a minor thing. It's rated M just for safety though. Anyway, I shall continue!<em>**

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><p><em>The minion smiled wickedly before he began to whip the king as hard as he could. It stung and hurt so much that the King had no choice but to scream out in pain. They didn't like that though, and so they gagged him and choked him so that he wouldn't make any noise.<em>

_As he only whipped him harder, the king cried softly, letting the tears roll down his cheek. He could see all of the whip marks that ripped his clothing. He was losing a lot of blood, and it made him feel tired. He could feel the blood roll down his back and splash onto the ground. Daphnes never understood why the minion was whipping him, but he didn't dare to ask them to stop. The whip curled around his wrists and ankles, slitting them open as the blood appeared. He tried to move his arms and legs away, but that only made the minion angrier._

_The other minion went to work on hurting him with a knife. He stabbed him in the leg and tore the skin, creating large gashes that were extremely painful. He then scratched him everywhere he could, where there was no trace of whipping Daphnes whimpered and banged his head on the hard cell floor, wanting it all to be over soon._

_Suddenly, he heard Donovan speak not very far from where he was laying down and crying. "Boys, that's enough for now. Let me see him." Donovan commanded as he came closer. The minions were shocked, but they respected their master's order. The one who was whipping the king dropped the whip, and the one with the knife dropped the knife, and they went back up the dark stairway._

_"Ah, King Daphnes. What a terrible shock to find you in such a condition as this!" Donovan exclaimed as he pretended to care. Suddenly, he kneeled down and whispered in the king's ear, in a low and threatening voice. "Now listen up, buddy. You're going to surrender this kingdom to me this instant, or you'll never see your precious daughter again. I'll let you off easy if you surrender, and I'll only give you a minor beating, but you'd better make up your mind soon. You're surrounded by my men who happen to be all around the castle positioned in their ready positions in case you try anything funny. So, what'll it be?" _

_"I... I'll surrender. Please, please don't hurt my precious Zelda. She doesn't deserve this. Please return her to me, let me see her beautiful face once more." King Daphnes begged._

_"Haha, you fool! I don't have your daughter, I don't even know where she is! If I do find her though, she won't be harmed. As long as you stay out of my way, that is." Donovan promised._

_"Alright, I promise I won't. Can you please let me go?" King Daphnes whimpered._

_"No, you can't be trusted. I will chain you here, but I won't whip you anymore unless you provoke me. I'll also keep you here as a threat to your daughter if she dares to try and stop me. Now goodbye Daphnes, I have other matters to attend to." Donovan said as he walked back up the stairway and slammed the door, locking it behind him._

_Daphnes was physically exhausted from the amout of blood loss he had experienced during that terrible ordeal he had just witnessed. He sighed and collapsed on the ground, passing out in an instance._

"Then after that, it was extremely silent for a long time until they put you down here. I'm glad you're with me though, I've gotten lonely down here. I've lost hope of rebelling against him, because I don't want Zelda to get hurt. I can't lose her after I've lost my beautiful wife. It would be too much." the king sobbed.

"So the Demon's real name is Donovan? That's really strange, but interesting at the same time. You mentioned that he used to attend army camp with you, what was that about?" Link asked.

"Oh, I- I don't want to speak of it right now, Link. I need to rest." Daphnes sighed as he snuggled down to sleep.

"Wait, something doesn't make sense to me. Before you rest, please at least answer this. How did you not notice Zelda's disappearance sooner?" Link asked.

"She was with me the day before, and then she was gone that day. Why, do you know where she is Link? You must tell me! You forgot to answer my questions sooner, please answer them now!" Daphnes exclaimed as he sat back up.

Link sighed and began to tell the king the long story of him and Zelda running away and living together. He made sure to include the information of the encounter with the Skull Kid, and when he woke up to find Zelda gone.

"When I went to look for her, I was captured and dragged to interrogation. The odd thing was that the men who captured me didn't seem to be working for Donovan. They had their own separate boss with a much deeper voice and larger complexion than Donovan." Link concluded his long story.

"What did they look like? The minions that I encountered were wearing long black capes with a dragon pattern weaved on the inside of the fabric. They had red eyes, and dark hair as well. They weren't that tall, but they were very strong and husky" King Daphne described.

"I was right, my kidnappers looked nothing like yours. Mine had dark black armor on that covered their entire bodies, so I wasn't able to see their faces. They also were pretty tall, but lean and strong as well." Link said.

"Hmm, a mystery indeed. Well, I must get some sleep if you don't mind, Link, and I'd advise you do too. It might be a rough day tomorrow, there's no telling what'll happen." Daphnes sighed as he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Link sighed as he laid down and tried to fall asleep. The king obviously didn't catch the part about him and Zelda running away, but Link didn't care. He just hoped that wherever Zelda was, she was in safe hands...

**Zelda's POV**

Meanwhile, Zelda _**was** _in good hands. King Rex and Queen Catalina enjoyed her company and they welcomed her graciously. Zelda learned that Luke had an adorable younger sister, Princess Lauren, who was only 5 years old. She told them all about her native country of Hyrule, and they were all very interested to hear what she had to say. When she was done talking about the good things about it, she told them about the current conflict that was going on. "My friend Link, the Hero of Time that I've told you about has been kidnapped, is in grave danger. Would your kingdom mind lending a hand in helping Hyrule? I fear that our kingdom is in grave danger." Zelda concluded, looking hopefully at the king and queen.

"Well of course dear, we couldn't let Hyrule fall to ashes! We're actually good friends with Hyrule, I know your father King Daphnes, and I knew your late mother Queen Harriet." Queen Catalina assured Zelda.

"Yes, the kingdom of Calithien is willing to do whatever you need us to do. For now though, you must rest dear princess. I can tell that you're tired, and nobody as young as you should have to go through such a rough time this early in your life. You shouldn't have to be faced with this stressful responsibility, but yet you are. We will help you, I promise, but for now you should go rest." King Rex said.

"I'll show you to an extra bedchamber you may use as long as you wish." Queen Catalina smiled as she took Zelda's delicate hand. Zelda gave her friend Luke a wave before she followed the queen into the hallway. The queen carried a candle as she walked down the hallway, because the hallway was very dark. Zelda looked around in awe at all the portraits that hung from the wall. She made sure to stick close to the queen, but she was careful not to walk up right on her heels.

When they reached the bedhcamber, Queen Catalina opened the door and welcomed Zelda in. "Alright dear, I must get back to my husband but you may rest now. My maids shall fetch you in the morning to give you a nice pampering bath, around nine. Is that ok with you, or do you wish to sleep in more?" she asked.

"I'll probably sleep pretty late Queen Catalina, but they can come get me at eleven. Would that be ok or is that pushing it? I am ever so grateful for your hospitality and I wouldn't want to provoke anything." Zelda said.

"Oh no darling, you aren't provoking anything. I'm liking you more and more as I get to know you better. I shall let them know to come at eleven. Have a good nights rest, Zelda." Catalina smiled as she hugged Zelda gently. She kissed her on the head and then proceeded to gently close the door behind her as she walked down the hall.

Zelda was left alone to think clearly. She wondered why she never met Luke's family earlier, but she was glad that she had met them. She wondered what kind of secrets and experiences Queen Catalina had that involved her mother. She missed Queen Harriet very much, and she was very excited to find someone else that knew her besides her father.

Still, she couldn't help but feel terrified about her father and Link. She knew that Link was captured, but she could only imagine the torture that he was experiencing as a prisoner. She was very scared for him, but she also worried a lot about her father. She had no idea of his whereabouts, and the prophecy made it sound like he was in pretty bad shape.

As these thoughts clouded her mind, Zelda began to cry. The tears rolled down and continued to splash on the bed sheets, making a small dropping noise. Zelda cried until she began to sob, and then bawl. She cried herself to sleep with all the worries of the world on her shoulders.

* * *

><p><strong> .God. . ! I did a lot today and then came home 2 hours ago, sat down, and wrote this chapter from beginning to end. It's up though, it's finally up! No, I won't do multiple chapters today because this chapter was pretty long and my brain is just tired. There are some things I would like to point out before I continue with this story though. I think I'll survive till the end, I don't know though. I'm liable to just fall asleep right here on the desk, right under the computer...<strong>

**1. Ok so first of all, no, Donovan and the "mysterious boss" are NOT working together. You'll find out other things later..**

**2. Why am I so obsessed with naming all of my villains something that starts with "D'? I swear that it's just a coincidence though, I named Dominique Dominique because the name just came to me, but I named Donovan Donovan because his name means "dark warrior" in some language that I forgot. **

** 3. I'm going on vacation so you won't see me for a while. When I come back though, be prepared for at least Chapter 5 to be complete and uploaded. Anyway, see you in a week. Read my profile if you want to know where I'm going, but if you don't that's ok too. This is the longest chapter in NEIWIS (Not Everything Is What It Seems), officially, with 5,186 words! Woo!**


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